WEST POINT — A team of West Point cadets was running neck-and-neck Wednesday with the defending champs at the Air Force Academy in their quest to regain supremacy in the world of cyber defense.

And their faculty adviser, Lt. Col. David Raymond, was expecting to see his charges make their move into the lead before Wednesday was over.

That was the exciting tale behind what otherwise might have looked like just a bunch of cadets sitting at computers in West Point's state-of-the-art Information Warfare Analysis and Research Lab.

This was the 14th annual Cyber Defense Exercise, which was begun by the National Security Agency to help develop important skills in dealing with cyber attacks among the next generation of military personnel.

Cadets from West Point and four other service academies — Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine — spend a week defending their computer system — designed just like one you might find at a deployed unit — from attacks.

Experts from the NSA and the Department of Defense play the part of the enemy, seeking and trying to exploit vulnerabilities in the students' systems.

"Last night we stopped a couple big attacks," said Cadet Geoffrey Gibson, who's also serving as a public affairs officer for the exercise.

Raymond said the 30-member cadet team, all seniors, comes from an elective class in cyber security, and this contest is a highlight of their course.

"They learn a lot really fast," Raymond said. "This is about as real as (education) gets."

Rules require the cadets to leave the room at 10 p.m.; they return at 8 a.m. the next day.

"Last night was the first time we left our network in a week and a half," said Cadet Hayden Tippett. Fortunately, he added, "There were no major mishaps." The NSA's Red Team, as they're called, continues to look for ways to attack during the night.

West Point's team has won six of the previous 13 contests, and finished second in the other seven. Their last victory was in 2011; the Air Force team has won the last two contests. This year's winner will be announced Friday.